Thousands of new students move onto campus, become Tigers

There were squeals of joy as roommates met face-to-face for the first time. There were dads trying to wipe away tears without anyone noticing. There were dozens of student helpers, including members of the football team and others wearing black-and-gold Move-In Crew t-shirts, loading up and pushing carts overflowing with new students’ personal belongings. There were lines and, eventually, there was rain.

But it was hard to damper the excitement of thousands of incoming freshmen and transfer students, who arrived on Towson’s campus this weekend to move into university housing.

“Where do I get my room key? Where do I get my OneCard? What do I do if everything I brought doesn’t fit in my side of the room? Can I get an extra cart? Where do we eat? Where do I park?”

These were just some of the questions asked Saturday by the newest Towson Tigers, most of whom admitted to feeling both excited and a little nervous. But by the end of the day, most of the newcomers had settled into their rooms, grabbed dinner, said final goodbyes to parents and maybe even attended a “TU Up Late” program in the Union.

The estimated 2,300 new freshmen and transfers will join 2,600 others already living in on campus, swelling the ranks of resident students to nearly 5,000. Total undergraduate enrollment is 18,840, up slightly from last fall’s 18,779.

Nearly three-quarters, or 74 percent, of the incoming freshmen are from Maryland (including at least one resident of Towson). The remaining 26 percent come from 28 other states (including California) and 12 foreign countries. Business administration is the most popular declared major among the group, with psychology and nursing close behind.

“Things have gone pretty smoothly,” said Jerry Dieringer, assistant vice president for Student Affairs and director of Housing and Residence Life, as he observed move-in activities at various locations around campus.

“We have received a lot of compliments today from parents about how well-organized this has been. This is such a fun day for us, it’s exciting to see all these new students with their moms and dads. And we always promise those moms and dads that we’ll take good care of their sons and daughters.”

Freshman, transfer and returning students have two more days to get acclimated to their surroundings (and their roommates) before classes begin this Wednesday, Aug. 27.